Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations

U.S. Hospitals Don’t Have Enough Ventilators, ICU Beds To Care For Surge Of Coronavirus Cases

Even if most cases of the coronavirus are mild, the health system can't handle the uptick in critical patients that the outbreak is likely to bring, especially coming off the back of a difficult flu season. But over-stretched hospitals are doing their best to prepare for the crisis. Meanwhile, President Donald Trump issued an executive order to increase the availability of respirators in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The New York Times:
Here’s The Biggest Thing To Worry About With Coronavirus
The ability of the American health care system to absorb a shock — what experts call surge capacity — is much weaker than many believe. As a medical doctor who analyzes health issues for The Upshot, I strive to place your fears in context and usually tell you that you shouldn’t be nearly as afraid as you are. But when it comes to the nation’s response to the new coronavirus, I cannot be so reassuring. A crucial thing to understand about the coronavirus threat — and it’s playing out grimly in Italy — is the difference between the total number of people who might get sick and the number who might get sick at the same time. Our country has only 2.8 hospital beds per 1,000 people. (Carroll, 3/12)

The New York Times:
How U.S. Hospitals Are Preparing For The Coronavirus Outbreak
As new coronavirus infections accumulate across America, hospitals want to make sure they have everything they need to keep staff safe. In China, where the virus was first discovered, protecting health care workers was a serious challenge. More than 3,300 nurses, doctors and other hospital staff members across the country were infected, many because of insufficient protective equipment. In the United States, some hospitals are already struggling with limited supplies, as health officials figure out the best way to protect workers. (Popovich and Parshina-Kottas, 3/11)

NPR:
CDC Asks Hospitals To Share Data About Supplies Of Coronavirus Gear
Masks, gloves and other equipment are crucial as health care workers face the COVID-19 outbreak. There is a strategic national stockpile that the U.S. government controls — but no one actually knows, beyond that stockpile, what's already out there in the private sector. Some hospitals have extras, and some not enough. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is working on a system that would track the inventory across the U.S. The big hurdle isn't the technology. The issue is getting hospitals comfortable sharing information about their preparedness — information that, until now, they have considered confidential. (Farmer, 3/12)

Modern Healthcare:
Trump Issues Executive Order To Boost Respirator Mask Supply
President Donald Trump on Wednesday issued an executive order to increase the availability of respirators in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. "The Secretary of Health and Human Services shall take all appropriate and necessary steps with respect to general use respirators to facilitate their emergency use by healthcare personnel in healthcare facilities and elsewhere," the order said. (Brady, 3/11)

KQED:
Bay Area Hospitals Gear Up For Potential Surge In Coronavirus Cases
Canceling or postponing non-urgent appointments, seeing patients through remote tools like telehealth and, in some cases, locking up face masks so they don't go missing: These are just some of the ways that local hospitals are preparing for an influx of coronavirus cases in the Bay Area. This comes as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced that more cases of COVID-19 are likely to be identified and that widespread transmission could occur, which "would translate into large numbers of people needing medical care at the same time." (Wiley and Klivans, 3/11)

Houston Chronicle:
Meet The Houston Medical Equipment Company Renting Ventilators And Infusion Pumps To The Nation’s Hospitals
US Med-Equip’s storage facility in Jersey Village resembles a Costco warehouse. But rather than pallets of M&M jars and bulk flour bags, the company stocks infusion pumps wrapped in plastic bags and incubators for premature babies. A veritable candy store for hospitals looking for pricey equipment, when a customer calls US Med-Equip looking for a monitor for vital signs, for example, its team checks if it has the piece, puts it on a company vehicle and delivers it to the hospital — often within three hours of the request. (Wu, 3/12)

Modern Healthcare:
Doctors Report Canceled Procedures Amid COVID-19
COVID-19 may already be putting a dent in procedure volumes. Almost a quarter of doctors surveyed by a major investment bank said they're seeing an uptick in procedure cancellations or deferrals. It's a small survey of 62 orthopedic surgeons, interventional cardiologists and anesthesiologists, but Jefferies analysts say the 23% who noted a change is enough to show that the novel coronavirus is prompting patients to reconsider going under the knife. (Bannow, 3/11)

Stat:
Covid-19: A Huge Stress Test For Electronic Health Record Systems
Just as the levees of New Orleans stood little chance against the wrath of Hurricane Katrina, our overly complex, inflexible, noninteroperable, and often off-purpose electronic health record systems aren’t ready for an average Sunday afternoon, let alone Covid-19. As the novel coronavirus that causes Covid-19 continues its march around the world and through the United States, it is spawning another kind of infection: Covid-19 cyber threats aimed at individuals and health systems. (Perakslis and Huang, 3/12)

Reuters:
U.S. May See Blood Shortages As Coronavirus Cancels Office Blood Drives
U.S. blood banks are concerned about potential shortages as Americans concerned about catching the new coronavirus avoid donation sites and companies with employees working from home cancel blood drives. There have already been shortages over the past week in Washington that required other blood banks to move blood in from outside the region, according to Brian Gannon, who runs the Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center and chairs a disaster task force for AABB, formerly known as the American Association of Blood Banks. Supplies in New York were also low because of blood drive cancellations, he said. (3/11)

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